In a refrigerator having a door mounted ice or water dispenser there is a need to transfer utilities, such as water or high or low voltage electricity, from the refrigerator cabinet to the door. In the prior art, utilities are transferred to the door from the refrigerator cabinet in a number of ways, such as through the hinge, through the edge of the door, or adjacent to the hinge. However, the use of articulated hinges which permit the door to open in a non-circular path makes these traditional routing options ineffective or less desirable.
Therefore, a need has been identified in the art to provide a means for routing utilities from a refrigerator cabinet through an articulated hinge and to a door mounted dispenser.
Another recognized area of concern is the potential for a refrigerator door to twist, bend, or otherwise deform as the door is opened on articulated hinges. Therefore, a further need has been identified in the art to provide increased stability for a refrigerator door having articulated hinges.
There is a further concern in refrigerator manufacturing to route utilities to the dispenser from the interface point between the refrigerator cabinet and door. Therefore, a need has been identified in the art to provide a means for routing utilities within the refrigerator door to the dispenser.